Blanche would put a bottle of Southern Comfort into a time capsule because she was secretly an alcoholic. Throughout the play, Blanche seeks comfort through alcohol, specifically Southern Comfort. During times of great emotion, no matter what emotion, Blanche turns to Southern Comfort to either enhance the experience, if it is a pleasant one, or console her if it is an unpleasant one.
Stella would include her son's baby booties in the time capsule as a way to commemorate her entrance into motherhood and his entrance into the world. She probably would have knit these booties herself in preparation for her baby's birth, and as a way to preserve that innocent and happy time, she would want to know that this piece of evidence was being kept safe somewhere. For many new mothers, baby clothes are an exemplary way to commemorate their children's early lives because the clothes serve to signify how tiny and innocent the children were.
Stanley would contribute his bowling shirt to the time capsule because bowling was one of his favorite hobbies. This sport was one of Stanley's favorite activities to do outside of the house, away from women, and with his friends. Bowling was on way that Stanley flaunted his manlyness in public for all to see, and would want to be remembered as being a masculine character.
Blanche would also include her rhinestone tiara, because it was one of the items of her apparel that truly exemplified her previous lifestyle of couture fashion and excess. She would not put this into the time capsule without pondering her decision for an extremely long time, simply because her character forms attachments to the petty aspects of life, such as rhinestone tiaras.
Blanche, Stella, and Stanly would all agree on including a red paper lantern in the time capsule. For Stanley, the lantern would represent his sexual passion for Stella because he enjoyed looking at her in the warped light produced by such lanterns. For Stella, the lantern would represent beauty because of how it would dress up the room, and for how it would make Stanley look at her. For Blanche, the lantern would represent security, because she didn't like to be seen in full light for fear of appearing older than she said she was.
Stanley would want to include poker chips and cards because playing poker with his friends was one of his favorite pasttimes. When playing poker, Stanley was allowed to assert his dominance in front of his peers and Stella. Poker was one of the few activities that Stanley would participate in with little or no complaints. Poker represented a feeling of happiness for Stanley because it was one of the things he could do better than most of his peers.
Blanche would like to include a small bouquet of dried roses. Roses are the flower that most internationally represents love. Love was the one thing that Blanche could never attain through all of her dating and flirting. Love was what Blanche was searching for throughout the play. It was something she couldn't buy with money and that she couldn't seem to achieve with sex. She longed for the security and companionship that love would have brought her.
Blanche would also contribute the love letters she recieved from her late husband. The only time in her life that Blanche experienced security and love was when she was with her first love, but after he died, Blanche has lived a very lonely and unfulfilled life. These love letters were the only sentimental items that Blanche carried with her all through her life; everything else was just material for her. Although these letters often inflicted sadness, she loved the man who wrote them, and therefore loved the letters.
Blanche would include empty bottles of such bathroom cosmetics as bath salts and oils. She liked to uphold a life of glamour, and nothing made her feel glamorous like spending a day soaking in a bath. Blanche enjoyed the aroma, the warmth, and the sense of relaxation that is commonly associated with a long, luxurious bubble bath.
Blanche, Stella, and Stanley would also agree on including a photo of the streetcar that brought Blanche to New Orleans in the first place.This streetcar represented different things to the three of them. Blanche associated it with poverty and despair. The streetcar was the first factor in Blanche's downfall that proved that she was now bankrupt and companionless. Stella would associate the streetcar with her sister in a melancholy state of mind. Stanley would associate the streetcar with a perpetual sense of anger and frustration. He had no tollerance for the inconvenience that Blanche imposed on his life during her stay with him and Stella.